Yet another casino and race track within easy driving distance of Cleveland is in the works.

Centaur Inc. has permission from the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission to build a mile-long harness track and casino called Valley View Downs on a 250-acre site near New Castle, Pa., about 12 miles east of Youngstown and not far from Interstate 80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The $428 million project awaits approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Centaur hopes to be up and running by summer or fall of next year.

Valley View Downs would join the already-operating Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pa.; Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in Chester, W.Va.; The Meadows Racetrack and Casino near Pittsburgh; and Wheeling Island dog track and casino in Wheeling, W.Va., to create a phalanx of gaming along Ohio's eastern border.

Valley View Downs expects to draw at least half its business from Ohio, said Jeffrey Smith, managing director of racing for Centaur of Indianapolis. Centaur also owns Hoosier Park, a horse track in Indiana that will offer slot-machine gambling by this summer, and a casino in Colorado.

Ohio horse tracks, including Thistledown and Northfield Park near Cleveland, offer wagering on horses, but by law cannot offer casino-style gambling, a restriction that the state's horse industry says puts it at a disadvantage. Valley View would make it even harder for those tracks to compete for the gambling dollar.

If I get the orders I want, I will end up about 5-10mins from Mohegan Sun or Foxwood Farms, two of the better east coast casinos outside of AC.

Coming from a Wolverine, we're the football equivalent of a formerly abused wife of a meth addict who just remarried the safe nice guy. We're just glad we have someone who's aware that it's a rivalry and that tackling on defense is integral. Baby steps.

I agree 100% the general disregard for the Ohio economy is shocking. The almighty dollar right? All i want is to see Cleveland and Columbus do better Finacially is that too much to ask of our politicians?

I went out and played cards at Seneca Allegeny two weeks ago, 2nd trip there. I've played at Seneca Niagara and the Canadian casinos as well.

Mountaineer just opened a poker room that has drawn many of my friends.

When I went to Allegeny I bought gas in NY and my buddy bought fast food in PA. We also each ate at the buffet for $15 apiece. I bought beers at the table and learned those rooms at Allegeny go for well over $200 per night, they are rarely discounted and they are always full. So much so they are building an additional tower there just one year after the first tower opened.

My friends made a weekend out of their trip to Mountaineer including dinner, lodging and likely enough beer to drown an otter.

Every dime of all the above, hundreds if not thousands of dollars was spent by Ohioans who were able to gamble in nice places and spend their money in nice places.

None of which were in Ohio.

PA, NY, WV, MI all with casinos. One of the people from Presque Isle advised Thistledown has already lost huge races and purses to other tracks and casinos in neighboring states.

As to the crowd it attracts, well, I would be much more comfortable and feel much safer taking my family to the buffet at Seneca Allegany than I would taking them to eat at 55th and Union or W 25th and Clark.

If Ohio doesn't think they're gambling right now with the decisions they're making, they're more fucked than I had thought.